This invention relates to jump ropes having ball bearing assemblies in the handles. There has been a substantial demand created for jump ropes by persons who use them as an exercising aid or tool and also by persons who want to enter rope jumping contests. Jump ropes have become more sophisticated over the years. With the recent emphasis on exercise, many jump ropes have been made which use ball bearings in the handles to increase jump rate and keep the rope from twisting while in use. Thus the demand is not for toy ropes or ropes for children but rather ropes which are substantial and suitable for use by adults under strenuous conditions.
In the course of jumping, the ropes are subject to wear. Since much of the cost of high quality ball bearing jump ropes is in the handles, it is desirable to provide for easy replacement of the rope itself. My invention does this and still retains the quality demanded by the user. None of the devices of which I am aware can be easily disassembled.
Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a device which can be disassembled easily.
When using a jump rope, the handles are held in a position which is substantially horizontal. Since the rope, as it emerges from the handle, rotates in an almost vertical plane when in use, the rope tends to wear rapidly at the point at which it emerges from the handle. To eliminate or reduce this problem, I use a piece of tubular steel which is bent at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The tube is attached to the rope on one end and rides on the balls on the other end. The angle of the steel tube provides a near vertical connection for the rope. In addition, I use springs around the ends of the rope at the point of attachment to the tubes to insure that the rope will not kink at the point where it emerges from the tubes.
Therefore, it is another object of this invention to reduce the wear on the rope at the points where it emerges from the handles.